Gravitational Potential Energy

• What is gravitational potential energy?

  Energy stored due to an object's position
• Why does an object have gravitational potential energy?

  Due to the force of gravity acting on it
• How is gravitational potential energy calculated?

  • Gravitational potential energy (J) = mass (kg) × gravitational field strength (N/kg) × height (m)
• What is the formula for gravitational potential energy?

  GPE = mass × gravitational field strength × height
• What does gravitational field strength measure?

  It measures the force of gravity
• How do you convert grams to kilograms?

  Divide by 1,000
• What is the mass of a ball that is 500 grams in kilograms?

  0.5 kilograms
• What happens to gravitational potential energy when an object falls?

  It converts to thermal and kinetic energy